Herding Cats
by AsylumDoll21
Summary: Its been several months since the battle with Loki and the Avengers still have some rough spots to work out... one of them being Tony's apparent disregard for his own life. intro to longer chapters, smut will come! rated M in later chapters
1. Chapter 1

He'd known. The whole time there had been something nagging at him. He simply ignored it untill now and it was staring him in the face. He heaved a sigh and concentrated again on what exactly was being said to him.

"You are without a doubt the most irresponcible man I know! And they expect me to work with you?" the blonde yelled angrily.

Captain Steve Rogers. He was an impressive man when he wasn't angry. So seeing him like this was akin to watching an angry tiger pacing behind bars.

"Working with you is like herding cats! It's impossible!" the captain spat at him. The brunette just shrugged a little.

"Actually cap, cats aren't that bad. You just need some really high powered lazer pointers," he smirked into the glass of amber liquid he was drinking from. The captain's patience visibly snapped and Tony sighed as his glass was batted out of his hand and shattered against the wall.

"Well that wasn't very nice." Stark crossed the room to collect another glass and whiskey but was stopped in his tracks by a strong grip on his upper arm. An electric shock shot through him and his heart began to beat just a bit faster.

"You have to be more careful Tony. Just because you're iron man doesn't mean you are actually made of metal. We can't just weld you back together. One of these days, you'll be in serious trouble and no one will be able to get to you." Steve spoke quietly, trying to make the other man understand exactly what it was that was so important. Tony just shrugged the captain off his arm and retreated to his bedroom.

"Sir, Mr. Stark has asked that you be escorted to your vehicle, will that be nessescary?" J.A.R.V.I.S vocalized to the young blonde.

"No, thank you Jarvis. I'll see myself out." And with that he walked out. Tony let his head flop agains the wall in his bedroom as he heard the doors open and close, signaling the departure of the good captain. He crossed his arms over his chest and took a steadying breath. He had refused medical attention again, and as a result, there was a warm feeling on his hip as is lasceration opened yet again. He grimaced and sighed as he walked towards his bathroom for the first aid kit. He spent the rest of his evening pulling metal shrapnel from his wound and drinking several bottles of whiskey.


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning Tony woke with a start. His sheets were tangled around his legs and he was panting. He took a deep shaking breath and tried to calm himself. He couldn't even remember what he'd been dreaming about. He knew it was something really terrible but he just couldn't quite… a sharp pain lanced through him like a hot knife through butter. He looked down. His wound was bleeding through onto his bed sheets. He glanced at the clock and groaned at the time. 2:30 am. He couldn't remember too much of the previous night after all the whiskey he had imbibed and things were a little hazy regarding how he had managed to get into bed. But he pulled himself up and to the bathroom once more. Peeling off the gauze he inspected the bloodied mess. He began cleaning the wound. Completely unaware of the front doors opening as someone snuck quietly into his house.

-Earlier that night/ morning-

Steve Rogers was still silently fuming about the brunette. He wasn't indestructible. And Steve knew just how precious human life was. More than anyone he wanted them all to stay together. For the first time in a long time he didn't feel so alone when he was with the Avengers. And even though Stark was a self serving, egotistical, pain in the ass… The chains conecting the punching bag to the ceiling snapped as the captain threw all of his weight into a single punch.

"Well, I sure wouldn't want to get in your way." Came a quiet observation. Steve turned around to see Bruce Banner leaning against the wall of the gym. Steve wiped his hands off on his shirt and drug up another bag to hook up.

"what makes you say that?" the blonde asked calmly. The scientist just stood there for a minute as he observed the taller man. Steve could feel his gaze boring into the back of his head.

"You know, It's only obvious to everyone. I mean the way you get worked up about it. That never happens to anyone else. And honestly I think you already know what I'm talking about." Bruce walked over to the other man. Steve looked at him questioningly. Bruce rolled his eyes.

"You need to go see Tony. Now." The blonde looked at his watch confused. It was already 2:00 in the morning.

"Why? He's probably sleeping anyway." He started punching the bag. Bruce grabbed the bag an put a hand on Steve's shoulder.

"Did you pay attention to anything other than his face?" Bruce was completely serious at this point. The captain thought for a moment. He hadn't really thought about anything else.

"He refused medical treatment again. Didn't he?" Steve's whole demeanor changed. He knew Stark had been hit, but hadn't even stopped to think if it was something that Tony could handle by himself. He clapped Bruce on the shoulder and nodded before grabbing his jacket from the coat rack. Bruce just folded his arms as he watched the first Avenger leave with a smile threatening his features.

-Back to Tony-

He had just finished threading a needle when the captain burst through his bedroom door. He started and dropped the needle in the sink while cursing quietly. Steve walked quickly to Tony and spun him around, gripping his upper arms tightly, when he noticed the pile of blood soaked gauze on he edge of the sink. He looked at Tony's bloodied fingers and the several bottles of whiskey before seeing the angry red wound showing slightly above Tony's pajama pants. He looked incredulously at the other man who just shrugged and rolled his eyes.

"Did you think you wouldn't need any help? Is that what this is all about? You think that asking for help is weak? Well let me tell you something! It's the only reason the world can function! Even 70 years on ice hasn't changed that!" Steve was angry, but there was a note of hurt in his voice that pulled at Tony's heart. He looked down at the ground trying to keep his gaze anywhere but those baby blues. Steve Grew angry and couldn't hold himself back. He drew back and punched Tony square in his jaw, knocking him back a foot before he stumbled and sat forcefully on the toilet. Tony clenched his teeth and grunted as a fresh wave of pain wracked his side. Steve looked at what he'd done and immidiately felt sorry. He wasn't about to show it to tony though. Pulling the other man up by his arm, he guided Tony to his bed and sat him down.

"Stay." The blonde said sternly. Tony was too tired and too drunk to think of a snappy comeback so he just sat there and raised his eyebrows. Steve went back to the bathroom and gathered up the first aid kit and the needle and thread. It was amazing, he thought, that after all these technological advancements people were still using stitches to seal up wounds. Finally some way he could be useful to Tony. He grabbed a bottle of hydrogen peroxide from the cupboard and picked up a half full bottle of whiskey. He walked back into the bedroom and set everything down next to the billionare, he handed him the bottle then poked the wound on his hip lightly. Tony jumped and shot a disbelieving look at the Captain.

"Drink up, you're still too tender." He said with a stone serious face. After another bottle had been opened,Tony was finally too drunk to stay vertical. As he started leaning back on to the bed, Steve removed the bottlefrom his hands and set it on the nightstand. He quickly set to work while Tony mumbled about something including an armani suit and a parachute. Steve slowly pulled the hem of Tony's pants lower until the entire wound was exposed, silintly thanking god for it not extending too far down. He grabbed the peroxide and poured a capful into the wound, letting it bubble up, cleaning any infection. He wiped it away before repeating the process two more times. Each time, Tony grunted a little at the cold sting of the chemical. The blonde would look up at him to see if he was in pain every so often. The wound was roughly 7 inches long and was too deep to just be left alone. Steve started pushing the needle through and heard an intake of breath from the brunette.

"Sorry,"He muttered, concentrating on the stitching.

"Oh no. You're fine. Really." Tony said in reply. Steve looked up Seeing a pair of dark chocolate eyes staring back at him. He finished stitching up the wound before covering it with fresh gauze and taping it down.

"You are now banned from movement untill you have healed enough to take out the stitches. Do you understand?" Steve asked Tony.

"Yes sir, Captian." Tony mocked half heartedly. The blonde went to leave as Tony drifted off into sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

Tony slept fitfully and woke several times through out the night. His hip was sore and he wished that he hadn't been left alone. He requested that Jarvis call Pepper several times, but the stubborn A.I. refused seeing as Pepper was currently in bangkok in a business meeting. Tony was still very inebriated and lonely. And for a man such as himself, that was never a good combination. He picked up the phone and pressed the redial button, half expecting it to be some chinese resturaunt he'd ordered from. He sat through a few rings and was about to hang up when he heard the other end of the line pick up. A sleepy voice came over the phone. Tony's heart Tried to jump out of his chest, his arc reactor singing with the strain of keeping him alive.

"Tony? It's 4 in the morning. Are you alright? Did you rip out a stitch?" Steve asked worriedly. Tony shook his head before realizing that he couldn't be seen and cleared his throat.

"I'm getting up. Don't move." The line went dead just as Tony was about to apologise.

-Several Minutes Later-

Steve walked in the door of Tony's suite at the top of Stark tower. He immidiately headed towards Tony's room expecting him to be whining about something having dropped too far to reach or maybe he actually had ripped a stitch. But nothing prepared Steve for what he walked into. Tony was standing in the shower as the water slicked over his body, making his pants cling everywhere. The steam had floated out of the bathroom and was coating the ceiling of the bedroom. Steve's heart clenched and his stomach filled with butterflies as he stared at Tony. A lump formed in his throat and it took him a moment to realise that he had stopped breathing. For being as unhealthy as he was, the billionare really did take excellent care of his body. He was tan and well built. There were hardly any scars on him and Steve couldn't help but watch the muscles ripple under his skin. Shaking himself out of his reverie, the blonde quietly walked into the bathroom clearing his throat. Tony jumped at the noise and turned too quickly, slipping on the wet floor. Steve leapt forward catching the brunette before he could hit the ground and hurt himself further. Tony was gasping and clinging to the other man as he tried to get his footing again. Steve reached over to turn off the water while holding the smaller man with one arm. Tony had started to shiver uncontrollably, due to either cold or adrenaline, Steve wasn't sure. He pulled a towel down from the shelf above the mirror and wrapped it around Tony before grabbing another to dry off his hair.

"Y-y-you really d-d-didn't have to c-come." Tony stuttered through chattering teeth. He looked up at the blonde and shuddered. His body wouldn't regain stability for some reason and it was making his current situation all the more embarrasing. He'd been wracked with cold shakes after he had fully regained conciousness and had attempted to ease them with a shower. Getting up had proven difficult, but it was something that he didn't want help with. He'd been able to shuffle into the bathroom and turn on the shower but…

"why were you wearing pants in the shower?"Steve asked while trying his best not to laugh… or stare. The billionare glared and set his jaw in an almost pout. Which, for a grown man who was not known for being particularly easy to get along with, it made him look like a child again. Cute in fact, if you asked Steve. But in his effort to keep from laughing at the man, he fell back on his effort to keep his gaze away from the wet form fitting trousers. A forgotten effort that didn't go unnoticed.


End file.
